Vietnam trivia question

[airbornelawyer]

Of allied forces serving alongside the US and Marvin the ARVN during the Vietnam War, South Korea, with almost 50,000 troops organized into a corps of two divisions and a ROK Marine brigade, had the largest contingent.

Who had the smallest?

[Footmobile]

Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment?

[JumpmasterK]

One battalion of infantry from the Philippines?

[airbornelawyer]

Originally posted by Footmobile
Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment? Cold

[airbornelawyer]

Originally posted by JumpmasterK
One battalion of infantry from the Philippines? Warmer, sort of

[Doogie320]

Taiwan or Turkey?

[Haggis]

Australia

[JumpmasterK]

Republic of China Military Advisory Group?

[bikewrench8541]

Dutch Medical Team?

Foot; RNZIR wasn't there AFAIK. 1 Co of RNZSAS and an Arty Battery and a Med Det. Some birds ISTR C-130's?

Edit: Maybe a company of RNZIR?

[Lancer33]

Thailand

[airbornelawyer]

Originally posted by Haggis
Australia Colder

Australian troops in Vietnam, by year:

1964: 200
1965: 1,557, 1 maneuver battalion
1966: 4,525, 2 maneuver battalions
1967: 6,818, 2 maneuver battalions
1968: 7,661, 3 maneuver battalions
1969: 7,672, 3 maneuver battalions
1970: 6,763, 3 maneuver battalions

Originally posted by Footmobile
Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment? New Zealand troops in Vietnam, by year:

1964: 30
1965: 119
1966: 155
1967: 534
1968: 516
1969: 552
1970: 441

For the most part, this was 2 infantry companies of the RNZIR, an artillery battery, an SAS troop, advisors and support personnel.

Originally posted by JumpmasterK
One battalion of infantry from the Philippines? Philippine troops in Vietnam, by year:

1964: 17
1965: 72
1966: 2,061
1967: 2,020
1968: 1,576
1969: 189
1970: 74

The Philippine Civic Action Group, Vietnam, consisted of an HHC, a medical and dental group, an artillery battery, an engineer construction battalion, a security battalion and logistical support.

Originally posted by Doogie320
Taiwan or Turkey? Turkey = cold. Turkey provided only non-military assistance, mainly medicine and vaccines.

Taiwan = much warmer numerically, colder geographically

Strength of the Republic of China Military Assistance Advisory Group, Vietnam, by year:

1964: 20
1965: 20
1966: 23
1967: 31
1968: 29
1969: 29
1970: 31

Originally posted by JumpmasterK
Republic of China Military Advisory Group? See above

Originally posted by bikewrench8541
Dutch Medical Team? Warmer, but all Dutch aid was non-military.

Originally posted by expatbb
Thailand Really cold. Thailand had the second-largest Allied contingent after Korea (4th largest after the US, RVN and ROK).

Thai troops in Vietnam, by year:

1965: 16
1966: 244
1967: 2,205, 1 maneuver battalion
1968: 6,005, 3 maneuver battalions
1969: 11,568, 6 maneuver battalions
1970: 11,586, 6 maneuver battalions

The Royal Thai Army Volunteer Regiment (the Queen's Cobras) began to deploy in 1967. By 1968-69, the force had been reinforced and expanded to a division (the Black Panther Division), with two infantry brigades (6 rifle battalions), a reconnaissance battalion (mainly armored cavalry, but also a LRRP company), an artillery brigade, an engineer battalion, an aviation company and support troops. Royal Thai Forces, Vietnam also had a naval element and an RTAF element. The first half of the Black Panther Division withdrew in July 1971 and the second half in February 1972. Most Thais were withdrawn by April 1972.

[Doogie320]

Greece?

[airbornelawyer]

Originally posted by Doogie320
Greece? Greece contributed $15,000 worth of medical supplies.

[Matchanu]

France?

[Doogie320]

I quit.

[Footmobile]

Fiji?:D Micronesia?:D Malaysia? It's got to be one of those small island nations in the SE Asia A/O!

[Matchanu]

Tonga.

The Morman Brigade.:D

[airbornelawyer]

The Philippines was sort of warmer because it had a certain relationship with the subject country. "Dutch Medical Team" was warm, because it was a medical team and it was from Europe.

The answer is . . . Spain.

From 1966 to 1970, Spain deployed a military medical team of approximately one dozen personnel.

From Vietnam Studies: Allied Participation in Vietnam, by LTG Stanley R. Larsen and BG J. Lawton Collins, Jr., US Army Center for Military History Pub. 90-5 (1975):
In December 1965 the government of Spain announced that as a result of a request by the government of Vietnam, it would provide a medical mission of twelve to fourteen men to the Republic of Vietnam. Negotiations over support arrangements were made in co-ordination with the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Vietnamese Minister of Health. The major points of this arrangement were that the government of Spain would pay the team's salaries and allowance, plus fifty dollars a month per member for subsistence, and the United States would pay all other costs.

It was decided to locate the team of four doctors, one quartermaster, a captain, and seven nurses in Go Cong Province in the IV Corps Tactical Zone. The team arrived in Vietnam on 8 September and on 10 September it replaced the US Military Provincial Health Assistance Program team at the province hospital in Go Cong.BTW, isn't "Go Cong" a pretty bad name for a Vietnamese village? "Go Cong! Beat Army!"?

[Footmobile]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Who would have thunk it?

[Matchanu]

Originally posted by airbornelawyer

BTW, isn't "Go Cong" a pretty bad name for a Vietnamese village? "Go Cong! Beat Army!"?

Isn't cong another name for......never mind.

[Haggis]

I was going to say Spain,no shit, really I was. Do I win?

[Doctor_Doom]

Strength of the Republic of China Military Assistance Advisory Group, Vietnam, by year:

1964: 20
1965: 20
1966: 23
1967: 31
1968: 29
1969: 29
1970: 31


Really? I thought my uncles were just telling me bullshit stories...

What was Belgium's contribution AL? That would have been my guess.

[bikewrench8541]

OK, tough sell I know...
I can deal with Spanish Nurses.

[JumpmasterK]

Spain? Yay!

[airbornelawyer]

Originally posted by Doctor_Doom
Really? I thought my uncles were just telling me bullshit stories...

What was Belgium's contribution AL? That would have been my guess. According to the study, "Belgium provided medicines and an ambulance, and granted scholarships for fifteen Vietnamese to study in Belgium."

As for China, although President Chiang had offered to send combat troops as early as February 1964, the potential political problems with the PRC kept the contribution limited. The Defense Minister, Dr. Yu Ta-Wei, even offered to attack Hainan Island as part of a general war against North Vietnam (and, presumably, the PRC). However, the US did not take up these offers. The study notes: "To preclude the possibility of Chinese Communist interference in the Formosa Strait, or elsewhere for that matter, the United States tried to play down the role of Republic of China military assistance and direct the aid of the republic primarily to the field of civic action." The Republic of China Military Assistance Advisory Group, Vietnam focused on psychological warfare. The chart below shows where they were assigned and how many, and reflects the structure and numbers in 1969-70.

Other assistance included a surgical team, agricultural experts and an electric power team to help build and run a power plant at Thu Duc. Also, in 1966, two LSTs, manned by Chinese sailors in civilian clothes and flying the US flag, were provided.

[Doctor_Doom]

Thanks AL!